University of the Philippines, Diliman
Preamble: United in the belief that press freedom and advocacy journalism are vital in mass communication as a means in upgrading skills in the profession, promoting people's rights and welfare, taking a conscious stand and form of action on issues, and actively partaking in the struggle for societal change, we, the members of the Union of Journalists of the Philippines - UP Diliman do hereby ordain and promulgate this constitution.
Article I. Name and Address
Section 1. This organization shall be known as the Union of Journalists of the Philippines - University of the Philippines, Diliman, or UJP-UP.
Section 2. This organization shall be based at the College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.
Article II. Declaration of Principles
Section 1. The UJP-UP believes and upholds press freedom.
A. The UJP-UP believes that the press should be independent from interests that may negatively influence its set ideals.
B. The UJP-UP believes in and upholds the Journalists' Code of Ethics.
C. The UJP-UP believes that press freedom carries with it corresponding responsibilities, primarily to the public.Section 2. The UJP-UP believes that communication in general and advocacy journalism in particular are vital in the struggle for societal changes.
A. The UJP-UP believes in democracy, where the interests of the masses are pursued.
B. The UJP-UP believes and follows a determined pro-student and pro-masses stance.
C. The UJP-UP strives for a press that advocates a pro-student and pro-masses stance.
Article III. Objectives
The UJP-UP shall:
A. Continuously tap, upgrade and promote skills in the profession with the goal of contributing to societal change.
B. Inculcate the Journalists' Code of Ethics in its members.
C. Pursue excellence not only in academics but also in other areas of personal and organizational growth for societal change.
D. Be at the forefront in promoting social, economic, cultural and political issues and participating in activities deemed relevant to all; and
E. Work with other campus organizations and establish constant links with the alumni in the pursuit of the Union's objectives.
Article IV. Membership
Section 1. Qualifications
A. all currently enrolled UP Diliman College of Mass Communication students and campus journalists from other colleges in their individual capacities are qualified for membership.
B. An applicant must have at least two semesters before graduation including the application period.Section 2. Application
A. The application period will be administered over a minimum of 65% of the total class days in a semester, excluding days for final exams and holidays. However, the length of application is subject to change upon approval of the Executive Committee.
B. Observers will not be allowed.
C. The Membership Committee will use a point system in rating the performance of the applicants.
D. Qualified applicants who fail to attend the induction will be rendered on a probationary status. Length of probation must not exceed one semester.Section 3. Rights and Privileges
A. Only active members shall elect and be elected in the organization.
a. Active members are those who file for reinstatement at the start of every semester.
b. Inactive members shall be defined as:i. Those who opt not to file for reinstatement at the beginning of the semester; and
ii. Those who file for a leave of absence at anytime during the semester. Such leaves of absence shall not exceed two weeks per semester for every member.B. A member shall have access to information on all union matters.
C. A member has the right to voice his/her criticisms, constructive or otherwise, on decisions made within the union, provided that he/she has actively participated in the process. A member may demand justification of policies formulated by the Executive Committee.Section 4. Duties of Members
A. All members must uphold this constitution.
B. All members must uphold and defend the Journalists' Code of Ethics.
C. All members shall not engage themselves in activities that will put the union's name in bad light.
D. All members shall actively participate in all activities and abide by all decisions made by the Union through the standing committees, the Executive Committee, and the General Assembly.
a. All members shall be held accountable for the fulfillment of individual tasks.
b. Members may be excused from performing their tasks for justifiable reasons, which are subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. Academic duties, while deemed a priority by all, should in no way be used as an excuse for fulfilling one's tasks as a Union member.E. Absence from the General Assembly forfeits a member's right to question decisions or policies made within the Union. Such forfeiture applies to a member who, by the next GA, fails to present a position paper stating his/her questions/objections regarding the policies raised in the preceding GA.
Article V. Organizational Structure
Section 1. The General Assembly
A. The General Assembly (GA) shall be the highest decision-making body of the Union. All Union authority emanates from it.
B. The GA shall have primary jurisdiction over the following:a. Formulation of organizational stand on issues that are of concern to the Union.
b. Review of decisions made by the Executive Committee regarding external functions of the Union and disciplinary action in case of an appeal where at least 1/3 of the total number of members in the GA should appeal; and
c. All matters provided by this Constitution.C. The decisions of the GA shall be considered valid upon the approval/concurrence of 2/3 of the members, provided that they constitute a quorum. A quorum consists of 50% + 1 of the total number of members in the Union. Majority decision shall be upheld at all times.
a. In the event that the GA fails to meet the desired quorum, the ExeCom shall have the responsibility to disseminate the agenda to the respective standing committees via the committee heads.
b. A maximum of 1 week will be required for members of each committee to submit a collective stand on each issue. These will be relayed to the ExeCom via the committee heads for deliberation during the next GA.Section 2. The Executive Committee
A. The executive and administrative power shall be vested in the Executive Committee (ExeCom).
B. The ExeCom shall be composed of the Chair, the Vice-Chair, the Education Officer, the Membership Officer, the Finance Officer, the Information and Propaganda Officer and the Secretary.
C. The ExeCom shall exercise collective leadership over the Union. In instances where the Chair cannot hold office, the Vice Chair shall temporarily assume the role of the Chair. The said arrangement, however, is fuctional only in so far as the Union's Chair is unable to perform his/her duties and responsibilities.
D. The ExeCom shall implement the calendar of activities for the semester subject to the approval of the GA.
E. The ExeCom shall prepare the agenda for GAs.
F. The ExeCom shall implement all Union policies decided upon by the GA.
G. The ExeCom shall have primary jurisdiction in enforcing sanctions on erring members after undergoing the prescribed due process. Such sanctions are subject to the approval of the GA.
H. The ExeCom shall have the power to delegate functions and authorities on any Union member.
I. The ExeCom shall have the power to approve financial decisions.
J. The ExeCom shall at all times be held accountable for the fulfillment of their functions.Section 3. Standing Committees
A. Common Provisions
a. The standing committees are the Education, Membership, Finance, Information and Propaganda, and the Secretariat Committees.
b. The standing committees may appoint their officials within the committee.
c. Each committee en banc may promulgate its own rules.
d. Each committee shall perform such other functions as may be provided by this constitution.B. The Education Committee
a. The Education Committee (EducCom) shall handle all educational programs of the Union.
b. The EducCom shall plan issue orientation and study groups on a monthly basis.
c. The EducCom shall monitor the educational advancement of members.
d. The EducCom, together with the Membership Committee, shall handle the proper formation of applicants of the Union.
e. The EducCom shall facilitate the Basic Mass Exposure of all members and applicants at least once every semester.
f. The EducCom shall have an institutional module containing the topics for educational discussions of applicants. The said module shall be about leadership and skills training.
g. The EducCom, together with the Membership Committee, shall closely monitor the over-all performance of members and applicants.C. The Membership Committee
a. The Membership Committee (MemCom) shall assess the over-all performance of members and applicants in the Union.
b. The MemCom shall have primary jurisdiction over the review of members' performance and the enforcement of disciplinary actions when deemed necessary.
c. The MemCom shall facilitate consolidation activities of the Union at least twice every semester.
d. The MemCom shall have an institutional module containing rules and procedures for the application period.
e. The MemCom, together with the EducCom, shall closely monitor the over-all performance of members and applicants.D. The Finance Committee
a. The Finance Committee (FinCom) shall handle all the financial matters of the Union.
b. The FinCom shall have primary jurisdiction in the allocation of budget for every committee and Union activity upon the approval of the ExeCom.
c. The FinCom shall be accountable for all the disbursement of funds and logistics of the Union.
d. The FinCom shall be responsible for purchasing logistics needed by the Union. It shall also be responsible for the equipment/property of the Union.E. The Information and Propaganda Committee
a. The Information and Propaganda Committee (IPCom) shall take charge of all the publicity campaigns of the Union.
b. The IPCom shall be responsible for the publication of the Tambuli, the official newsletter of the Union, and Tinta, the official literary folio of the Union, at least once every semester.
c. The IPCom shall formulate a systematic and speedy process of information dissemination within the Union.
d. The IPCom shall be responsible for the Union's website.F. The Secretariat Committee
a. The Secretariat Committee (SecCom) shall keep all records, documents and communications of the Union.
b. The SecCom shall facilitate the Union's assessment and criticism and self-criticism (CSC) activities.
c. The SecCom shall facilitate all elections and shall have an institutionalised module of election procedures.
d. The SecCom shall handle the membership renewal of all members in coordination with the MemCom and FinCom.
e. The SecCon shall handle alumni relations.
Article VI. The Officers
Section 1. The Chair
A. The Chair shall be the chief executive officer of the Union.
B. The Chair shall be the ex-officio member of all the Union committees, sub-committees, and ad hoc committees. He/She shall ensure that the organizational laws, principles, objectives, and programs be faithfully executed.
C. The Chair shall have the power to create task forces when deemed necessary and/or when the task is beyong the capabilities of the standing committees.
D. The Chair shall have the privilege of being the spokesperson of the Union.
E. The Chair, together with the Finance Officer, shall have the duty of signing all financial transactions approved by the ExeCom.
F. The Chair shall have the primary responsibility of being present in all Union activities except for justifiable reasons as cited in Article IV, Section 4D.Section 2. The Vice Chair
A. The Vice Chair shall assume the position of chair if and when the latter is not able to perform his/her above-mentioned duties and responsibilities.
B. He/She shall engage in all external affairs of the Union.
C. He/She shall be an ex-officio member of the IPCom.Section 3. The Education Officer
A. The Education (Educ) Officer shall be the head of the Education Committee of the Union. He/She shall head the Basic Mass Exposure program of the Union.
B. The Educ Officer shall be the chief implementor of all educational policies and programs of the Union.
C. The Educ Officer shall have the primary responsibility for the educational advancement of every Union member.
D. The Educ Officer, together with the Membership Officer, shall formulate policies and programs during the application period.
E. The Educ Officer shall coordinate with the IPCom officer regarding information and propaganda matters of the Union.Section 4. The Membership Officer
A. The Membership (Mem) Officer shall be the head of the Membership Committee.
B. The Mem Officer shall be the chief implementor of all membership policies of the Union. He/She shall also be the head of the application process during the application period.
C. The Mem Officer shall be responsible for the monitoring of the members' and applicants' performance in accordance with the general principles, set objectives and activities of the Union.
D. The Mem Officer shall ensure that all provisions of this Constitution and the decisions reached by the ExeCom and GA are upheld.
E. The Mem Officer, together with the Educ Officer, shall formulate programs and policies during the application period.Section 5. The Finance Officer
A. The Finance (Fin) Officer shall be the head of the Finance Committee of the Union. He/She shall also be in charge of the disbursement of funds.
B. The Fin Officer shall handle the financial transactions and shall be the chief implementor of all financial policies and programs of the Union.
C. The Fin Officer shall be responsible for a monthly financial report. He/She shall likewise give a financial report after every major activity.Section 6. The Information and Propaganda Officer
A. The Information and Propaganda (IP) Officer shall be the head of the Information and Propaganda Committee of the Union.
B. The IP Officer shall be the chief implementor of all information and propaganda policies and programs of the Union.
C. The IP Officer shall be the ex-officio editor of the Tambuli, the official publication of the Union.
D. The IP Officer shall be the official spokesperson of the Union.
E. The IP Officer shall work closely with the Chair and the Educ Officer in making Union statements on issues.Section 7. The Secretary
A. The Secretary shall handle all the documents of the Union
B. The Secretary shall be the liaison officer of the Union.
C. The Secretary shall have the primary responsibility in taking all the minutes and proceedings of all Union meetings.
Article VII. The Adviser
Section 1. The adviser shall be chosen based on consultation with the GA.
Section 2. The adviser shall be consulted in major decisions of the Union.
Article VIII. Constitutional Commission
Section 1. The Constitutional Commission (ConCom) shall be composed of 10 members elected by the GA. Only regular members, or active members during the previous semester, can elect and be elected. In exceptional cases where there is an urgency to create a ConCom, the ExeCom may appoint the 10 members subject to the approval of the GA.
Section 2. The ConCom shall carefully study the Constitution and shall, upon recommendation of the GA, be convened when amendments or revisions are necessary.
Section 3. The ConCom shall uphold the Constitution by monitorin its strict implementation. The ConCom has the right to report any deviation or violation of the provisions of the Constitution committed by any member of the ExeCom.
Section 4. It shall be the duty of the ConCom to interpret the Constitution for clarification to all members of the Union. The ConCom's interpretation of the Constitution shall be deemed final and executory.
Article IX. Elections
Section 1. Regular elections shall be held before the end of classes of every academic year.
Section 2. Special elections shall be called in cases of:
A. resignation, or
B. impeachement of officers; and
C. disqualification of candidates due to non-compliance with election rules and standards.Section 3. The vote of confidence shall comprise a majority vote (at least 50% + 1) of the total number of those who voted.
Section 4. Probationary and inactive members are not allowed to vote.
Article X. The Seal
Section 1. In the center circle are the letters "UJP" inscribed in white, symbolizing purity, against a background of red signifying militancy and action. The letters "U" and "P" are in a wavy design resembling the old Tagalog script. The letter "J" is shaped like the tambuli, depicting an indigenous medium of communication
Section 2. Around the edge of the seal are the words "Union of Journalists of the Philippines" and the numbers "1988", signifying the year when the Union was organized. These are written in blue to denote well-being.
Section 3. Directly below the seal are the letters "UJP."
Article XI. Amendments
Section 1. This constitution shall be amended or revised totally or partially by a 2/3 vote of the active members of the Union.
Section 2. Amendments or revisions shall be carried out immediately after ratification.
Section 3. No amendments to the Constitution shall be made two years after the last amendment was made.
Section 4. In cases where amendments/revisions are deemed necessary, the proposal for amendments/revisions must be sponsored by at least ¼ of the total number of active members of the Union.
Article XII. Effectivity
Section 1. This Constitution shall take effect immediately upon the approval of active members through a majority vote of the GA.
Section 2. Any rule contrary to this Constitution shall be deemed unconstitutional.
Section 3. Differences in the interpretation of this Constitution shall be settled by the ConCom.